I Remember You
by Niji Hitomi Kabra
Summary: Urahara Kisuke is a man that cannot still his restless mind. One day in his long distant past, he was taught the best way to distract that mind. Tonight, he faces the same problem, and though part of him wishes to go back there, the distraction he has in the present is far too sweet. Warning: YAOI!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** WARNING! HERE THERE BE SMUT...like...the whole dang thing. XD

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'_I remember you. Back then, hidden behind your mask, all good upstanding morals and warm smiles. You were soft as silk, smelling of fine miso and home-cooked spices. I never even once considered that you would have an interest in me, and yet…you did._' Urahara Kisuke inhaled deeply, lost in his thoughts and memories. The pipe he held glowed in the dark room briefly, and the smoke, when he exhaled caught the moonlight from the window. He repeated the process, at the same time drawing a hand over a page of delicate calligraphy many years old. In the darkness he couldn't read it, but he knew what it said like he knew his own name. His thoughts wandered back, long into the past, before the Quincy's revenge, before the rise of the half-Shinigami creatures known as Arrancar, before a young boy suffered a tragedy that would set him on the path to greatness, before even the creation of the half-Hollow group called Visored, long before all of these things, and back to a night very similar to this one.

The moon hung fat and bright in the sky, wispy clouds dancing across its face like the lace veils of the Middle Eastern belly dancers. The wind was cool but gentle, carrying the sounds of crickets and night-birds and tinted with the scents of the trees and flowers all around Seireitei. At this late hour only the drunks and the guards were out and about, except for one newly-promoted captain.

The golden light of his brand-new laboratory spilled out into the courtyard of his division. Though the other members were fast asleep, the captain was up to his elbows in hastily scribbled notes, whirling chemicals and computing electronics. He darted from one end of the lab to the other, carrying a vial here, a test tube there. Sometimes he paused to scribble another note. Sometimes he used his mouth to hold the brush, ignoring the potential for ink to stain his pale cheek. All the while though, he didn't notice he was being watched.

Another pass from chalkboard at one end to notebook at the other and the watcher grew tired of doing nothing. Just as the scientist turned to place another test tube over another burner, arms wrapped around his waist.

"It's late." A deep, velvet voice accompanied those arms, rumbling in his ear.

"Is it?" He asked, leaning slightly to the side to glance over his shoulder at the warm brown eyes framed with thick black spectacles. "I became distracted by an experiment or five." He smiled brightly.

Again the voice of his assailant rumbled next to his ear. "I know. When the moon rose above the tree tops I realized what must have happened to you." The hands connected to the arms around him splayed across his athletic torso, caressing the planes of muscle underneath his shihakusho. "Now, I have been quite patient in waiting for you to finish your work before coming to look for you, but I cannot be put off for much longer, Kissu."

"Aa, but I have so much that needs to be finished before I can retire for the night. Genius doesn't happen on its own, you know." He tried to laugh, but the presence of those wandering hands in combination with the warm breath on the junction of his neck and his shoulder had his breath hitching in his throat.

"Even genius must rest at some time." Lips of velvet caressed his skin.

He squirmed a bit, "Even if I left now, my mind would not be still. How could I sleep knowing that all of these experiments are waiting for me?"

The arms held him tighter, pulling him closer to the warm body behind him. Through the layers of his clothing he could feel that just being like this had a very positive effect on the man behind him. "I believe I have just the cure for a restless mind."

"Do you now? Well, then how am I to refuse such a generous offer after I have spurned you so badly tonight." He twisted in those arms so he could look into the amused eyes of his kidnapper. With a flick of his wrist behind him, the scientist shut the entire lab into 'overnight mode' dimming the lights and putting the computers into sleep mode. In the gathered shadows, his grey eyes sparkled with mischief. "Ravish me, So-so, I'm yours for the taking."

In a similar darkness, those same grey eyes blinked up at the moon, so round and heavy just like that night so long ago. Though they sparkled in this time frame too, it was with sorrow, not delight. Taking another puff of his pipe, Kisuke drew a slender hand up to cup his own cheek, feeling the decades lost sizzle of another's lips on his shadowed jawline. Unconsciously, he tilted his head to the side, as though the ghost that haunted his memory might take the invitation to dine upon the bared flesh.

He drew a shuddering breath, exhaling smoke like a dragon through nose and mouth, as he remembered the way that person had taken him away from himself, stilled his thoughts, and brought new clarity to a mind so often gummed up by inspiration. Gently calloused hands running over the dips and curves of his body, teeth held back from breaking the skin by just so much willpower, and those eyes…those chilling, soul-piercing eyes that even to this day could hold him spellbound.

'_Did you know even then that as it was in the beginning it would be so in the end? Or were you just as caught up in the moment as I? You knew the way you played me, but did you plan to be repaid for that favor? I still hear your voice, and I still feel your touch._' His mind was running in circles again, much as it had that night so long ago. '_And where are you now, So-so, when I need that soul-freezing distraction you could always provide?_' Once again lost in the depths of his memory, Kisuke felt the hands of his lover run along the sides of his arms.

Back in his brand-new quarters that were part of the perks of being a captain of the Gotei 13, So-so dove his hands into Kissu's shitagi. The haori and kosode lay in a crumpled heap on the ground near the door in two places. The scientist's hakama-himo quickly came untied, and the fabric of both shirt and pants fell open, leaving him with nothing but his straining fundoshi to cover the swell of his erection.

"So eager, Kissu." So-so purred in his ear, drawing a flexible palm over the cloth-covered bulge.

This elicited a gasp and a moan from the scientist, as his hips bucked forward into the touch unbidden. He bit his lip and tried to free his arms from beneath his lover's pinning grasp.

"Ah, ah, ah. You specifically instructed me to ravish you. I can't do that if you participate." A hot tongue ran along the outer shell of his ear, and the breath of the next sentence chilled his spine in pleasurable shivers, "Or do I need to tie you up again?" This was accompanied by yet another brush of skillful fingers over straining cloth, causing a chain reaction of moan and blossoming wetness from the tip of his manhood. So-so chuckled, "Does the idea of being at my mercy get you that excited, Kissu?"

"Ngh. S-so…what if it does?" He was panting slightly, more frozen in words by the feeling of ice across his skin in all directions. "S-such a contradiction, So-so…"

"Hm? What is?" Another dance along the trail of blonde hair between his navel and the edge of his underwear had him catching his breath.

He panted for a moment, "You are always so cold to touch, but so warm to see."

The velvety voice of his lover rumbled in another self-satisfied chuckle. "I am much, much more than meets the eye, Kissu. You know that."

"Mmm…oh yes, So-so." He was thrusting lightly against the hand that was held just too far away from his erection to really do any good. "Ah…ngh…Oh…So-so…t-tie…tie me up…I wanna feel you…ngh…all over."

"As you wish, Kissu." The presence of his lover was withdrawn, but Kisuke found himself unable to move anyway; leaning back on his hands; his knees bent, lower legs splayed to either side; his clothes disheveled, his hair rumpled, and his pelvis wide for all the world to see just how thoroughly aroused his lover had made him in the few minutes since they'd arrived.

Moments later the world was plunged into darkness as a cloth was drawn over the scientist captain's eyes. "Ah! So-so?!" The cloth was moved so he could see again, at least for the moment. "B-blindfold?"

"Last time you said you couldn't stand to look at my face when I tied you up. Has that changed?" His lover had removed his glasses and pushed his bangs out of his face, highlighting the sharp angle of his brow-line and dark fan of his lashes over the melted dark chocolate of his eyes. The simmering orbs held a cold distance that was normally muted by the lenses of his spectacles.

Involuntarily Kisuke shuddered, "No. You're right. You always look so harsh and foreboding like that." He couldn't quite keep the shiver out of his words as So-so replaced the blindfold, tying it firmly against the back of his head.

Next came the fabric around his wrists, bound so that he would have to hold his elbows with the opposite hand, and finally his legs, calves touching thighs, his heels pressed against the lower curve of his buttocks. By now his was on his back, and the underwear removed. The cool night air calmed the strain in his manhood ever so slightly, but only enough to combat the burn created by the vulnerable position.

Heat over him told him that his lover was leaning down, and the velvet voice was mere inches from his face when it spoke again, "You adore being at my mercy, don't you, Kissu? It drives you wild knowing that I have absolute power over every aspect of your body right now."

All he could do was nod, his back arching to try and capture some of the façade of heat the body above him gave off. So-so's words were cold, his hands colder, but the center of his being, from his collar bones to his pelvis, was hot, hotter than anything Kisuke could stand. But oh, how the scientist craved it.

Faint touches, delicate breaths, and the hovering of that ever tantalizing heat just outside of his reach had the scientist squirming and whimpering in need before his lover had even made it back down to his happy trail from his ear. Between his legs, his cock drooled, and his hips twitched, trying to hump the air. Being restrained as he was only added to the frustration building in his groin.

"Ngh, So-so, p-please!" He begged, once again arcing to try and capture a deeper touch.

Lips pressed to the inside of his thigh, "Mm, since you asked so nicely, Kissu." Hands gripped his hips, and thumbs pressed just-this-side-of-painful circles into his pelvic bones. A trail of freezing kisses brought breath that was like mint and cinnamon at once dancing across his weeping manhood. For a moment, Kisuke thought he was actually going to receive those velvet lips around his most sensitive place, but nimble fingers dashed those hopes. A few short strokes was all he received, as he was milked of pre-come for lubrication.

His lover wanted as little to do with actually putting his hands on his private areas as possible but this part they both knew was necessary to move into the stage So-so enjoyed most. A single finger, slicked with his secretions, teased the pucker of his backside, pressing gently, almost hesitating, at the ring of muscle before dipping inside one knuckle at a time. Again, all he received were a few strokes before a second finger was added, scissoring gently to stretch his opening. A third entered before all three found his prostate. His body spasmed around the hand, and were it not for both his bindings and the other hand on his hip he may very well have bucked away from his lover's ministrations. Several more thrusts against the bundle of nerves within him had him able to ride through the bolt of pleasure with a more refined reaction.

He moaned out loud when the fingers were removed, and his rear winked spastically as he waited to be filled again. The anticipation turned the burn in his pelvis into a coil of fire in his belly, and he whimpered, hitching his hips, while So-so leered down at him, deliberately making him wait.

It felt like forever but a few moments later his erection was stroked again, gathering more pre-come on the talented hand that touched him. It was withdrawn and a fraction of a second after he felt the press of the blunt end of the glans of So-so's penis against his stretched entrance. He tried to grind his hips down onto that thick shaft, but strong hands held him down.

No words or even sounds came from his lover now. The only thing he heard was his own labored breathing and needy noises. The lava in his veins sped past his ears, anyway, on its dedicated trip to his groin. Consequently this meant that every previously cold touch was now so cold it froze his nerve endings, adding to the burn spread out across his body.

His fingers clenched his elbows where they were tucked behind his back as So-so pressed into him, inch by agonizing inch. Every breath ended in a moan and began in a gasp, as his body rushed to accommodate his lover's length. Without waiting for him to adjust, So-so began to thrust into him, holding his hips. Now, every breath was more a squeak than a moan, and his own erection bobbed between them, only stimulated when it brushed against his stomach. It was still enough to drive him higher and higher towards one of the mind-numbing climaxes that only So-so could provide.

He didn't know how long he was held in that semi-satisfied state while his lover thrust into him at ever increasing speeds, but he could feel the coil of fire in his belly grow tighter and tighter as his climax approached.

"Ngh! So-s-so, 'm gonna…ngh! Ah…p-puh-please…I gotta…" He had his head thrown back into the pillows of his futon, arching his back and trying to get as much contact with his tortured member as possible.

"Hm." Was all his lover said, but the angle of his thrusts shifted ever so slightly, becoming harder, deeper but slower and more deliberate. He could feel his scrotum tighten in anticipation, and a growling sort of noise came from his lover as in one—two—three more thrusts So-so ripped himself from the depths of Kisuke's behind. Ropes of thick, white spunk coated his belly and chest as his lover came. A shaky hand used the leavings of his lover's orgasm to stroke along his neglected dick. It didn't take long, only a few strokes, and his own climax pulled matching spurts of white cream out and down over the thumb of that hand.

He panted harshly, the splatters of semen rapidly cooling in the pre-dawn air. He found the knots of his bindings untied, and though he still hadn't removed the blindfold, he already knew without a doubt that he was alone. So-so was amazing at the tease and the hunt, but after the prize was claimed, he always disappeared like the morning dew.

Back in the present, Kisuke drew a hand over his stomach, as though wiping away traces of a climax that had been in his memory. The sky in the East was getting brighter marginally, and the moon had turned her face into her pillow to sleep for the day. His pipe had long since gone out, but he held it anyway. He blinked a few times, trying to clear sleep from his eyes, not noticing the figure shift across the floor behind him.

"You were up all night again, Kissu." A soft baritone murmured in his ear as long, bare, sinewy arms reached around his shoulders.

He made a noncommittal noise, but reached up with the hand that didn't hold his pipe to run his fingers across the bronzed skin.

"Thinking about him again?" The voice asked, and the captain-turned-shopkeeper nodded. A warm nose buried itself into his hair behind his ear. Velvet lips whispered against his skin, "I think I can calm your restless mind." He shivered involuntarily, but leaned back against the figure, as the voice spoke for a third time, "And I'm nothing like him."

"No, you're not." He shifted, and smiled at his lover. "Ravish me. I'm yours for the taking."

He received a devious smile in return and long-boned hands guided him to lay back against the futon. Warm, welcoming kisses drew him even further away from his memories, as those same hands pushed the layers of clothing away from his body. The velvet lips cantered across his jawline, down his throat and torso, pausing only to nibble at the places his lover knew were sensitive. His hakama were pulled aside, down to pool around his knees and his lover positioned himself between Kisuke's legs. Unconsciously, the shopkeeper drew his heels up to touch his behind, and hot breath danced across the sensitive flesh of his already aching erection.

He tucked his hands under the pillow behind his head, gripping the opposite wrist, and closed his eyes, his breath beginning to come in shorter gasps. Then he let out a long, loud moan, and the thought crossed his mind, '_Nope, nothing like him, Berry-kun_' as that sinful, teasing mouth wrapped itself around him, enveloping his most sensitive area in pure molten lava.

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**A/N:** OMG! I wrote Aizen/Urahara! XD I SWEAR I NEVER PLANNED THIS! However! I threw a little Urahara/Ichi on the end to make up for it. Tell me, does this have the potential to be continued? Cuz KisIchi is a pairing that's been tickling at my mind for a while. Anyways, this was inspired by a dounjinshi on a site I was linked to by Lunar Tokala. It's called Blindfold Fiend and is very well done, if a little skimpy on the details of the actual love-making. Ah well, ja ne, minna!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed this. I have in fact decided to continue it. Though I have no idea how long it will be and it may be sporadic in being updated. For those of you following my other stories, this one quite literally stole my entire focus for two weeks. XD I'll be getting back to A&B and Soul Music this week, I promise. Enjoy, minna!

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The lithe body of his lover twisted and turned as the younger man danced around his private sitting room. A fine-boned hand was wrapped around the handle of the vacuum in a way that made him wish he had his fan to hide behind. The orange haired male had his mp3 player tucked into the back pocket of those oh-so-tight jeans and was oblivious to the way he was being drooled over because of the earbuds.

Though Kisuke couldn't hear the song the delectable figure in front of him was grinding to, he certainly appreciated the view. The orangette spun around fast enough that when his hand left the vacuum he caught it again before it could fall. It made the blonde's breath catch in his throat at the pure joy on the usually scowling features. Not only amazing from behind, but downright stunning from the front. The body of his lover dropped to the floor, using the cleaning equipment as a prop, and shot back up in a sinuous curve, displaying the younger man's incredible flexibility. That move made the blonde's mouth go dry and reminded him of the first day he'd stopped thinking of the substitute Shinigami as a boy several decades ago.

It had been a long day and all Kisuke wanted to do was relax. Soul Society was trying to convince him to come back and head up the Research and Development Department again. More reasons than what he told them rattled around in his head demanding that he avoid taking them up on that offer. So, at the insistence of Yoruichi he found himself standing outside of one of the newest dance clubs in Karakura.

In the last ten years the small city had leapt into the twenty-first century like it was going out of style. Clubs and the J-Pop scene had invaded the downtown area, shoving the more traditional and sedate sake bars out to the fringes. All in all it wasn't so bad for Kisuke, because it meant that he had more customers visiting his candy shop storefront. One of the biggest excuses he'd told Yamamoto that he couldn't just leave.

What he hadn't said was that he couldn't stand the thought of being back in the place where sharp chocolate eyes had tricked him into bed more times than he liked to admit. He'd be constantly looking over his shoulder and just knew that the newly re-appointed captains would be trying to get his mind off of it. As nice a distraction Shinji and Kensei had been over the years, he just wasn't up for something like that again. Then there was Yoruichi, herself, and Kami help him, Shunsui and that pretty little Matsumoto from the Tenth. No, no, going back to Soul Society full time was out of the question until he had his head on straight again.

So, he joined the crowd of thirty-somethings entering the club, resolved to give in to some liquid libation and maybe find a little somethin'-somethin' to take back to the shop for an evening of distraction. He'd even changed up his usual attire in the hopes of being more appealing to the younger set. Gone were the traditional clothing and fan. Though he kept his hat and Benihime, in the pretense of being the business owner that was his cover. Instead he wore a relaxed suit in the same dark green, with a pale shirt and a striped tie.

As he entered the main body of the club, he loosened his tie just enough to appear to have been there for a while, left his hat, jacket and sword-cane with the bouncer, and opened the first three buttons on his shirt. He frequented this particular club enough that the bartender knew what he wanted when the scientist gave a short wave to the man in the tight tee-shirt displaying the logo of the establishment across his broad chest. The bottle was set in front of him with a wink and a smirk, which Kisuke freely returned knowing full well both were only playing.

He turned away after their exchange and surveyed the dance floor much like a lion looking over a herd of gazelle. His head bobbed to the music slightly and the corner of his mouth turned up to match the amusement dancing in his grey eyes as he nursed his drink. One or two of the trollops on the floor caught his eye, but nothing worth really chasing after until a flash of vibrant color caught his eye. In the center of the floor, grinding and bumping with three or four others was a head of hair he hadn't seen for the better part of six years.

He learned later that the orangette had been attending college in the United States for art, but that night all he knew was that the teenager he'd trained to become Seireitei's Weapon of Mass Destruction had grown up and was most definitely NOT a gazelle. The young man's frame twisted and moved to the beat. His chunky orange spikes were highlighted in black now, and he had both his eyebrow and his lip pierced. His time overseas had increased his delinquent aura, dressed as he was in a tight graphic tee over a long-sleeved undershirt and form-fitting jeans, both torn in strategic places to flash hints of tanned flesh. At current moment, the orangette's hands were raised above his head, the lights of the club flashing off of the rings on his fingers and the exposed metal studs on his belt. He spun and dropped to the floor in a move that jutted his hips forward and spoke of pure sex. It seemed that art wasn't the only thing he'd picked up in college.

Another move like that had Kisuke setting down his drink to join the throng on the floor. A couple of the airheads who'd tried to catch his eye before quickly had their hopes dashed as the predator slunk through the twisting bodies until he was directly behind the only person in the club more dangerous than he. Without even considering who this was that he was making up to his hands found places on those sinful hips, and then they were grinding together. Denim-clad rear end pressing back against his crotch, hands running up and down the athletic thighs, and nose buried in the soft hairs behind the berry's ear. He quoted some of the cheesy lyrics to the song that was playing and a tinkle of brilliant laughter burbled over the pounding bass.

The figure in his arms spun and grey-green met amber for the first time on equal footing. Ichigo almost lost his rhythm when he saw who his dance partner was, but Kisuke smirked playfully, daring the orangette to continue. He figured at the very least he could play it off and get under the previously modest young man's skin. But the tilt of clean shaven chin and hands that wrapped into the loops of his belt told him that Ichigo was definitely no longer the blushing, flustered teenager that he'd been as Kisuke's student. A flash of teeth between peach lips, the faint narrowing of the orangette's eyes, and their pelvises met when the lithe young man pulled himself to align against Kisuke.

If the substitute Shinigami drove him crazy from behind, being eye to eye with him was maddening. Ichigo's hands traveled along the scientist's belt to dip into his back pockets massaging the flesh beneath while pressing up against his chest. The orangette twisted his spine into S-shapes rolling his shoulders alternatively and held Kisuke's gaze with a smoldering promise of things to come that the blonde found himself praying would be fulfilled. Then the electricity between them shot straight to his groin as Ichigo pulled his bottom between his teeth and literally purred. The orangette let him go with a small lick and a flash of amusement in his eyes that could easily have been the color of the lights.

All too soon the song was over and the delicious strawberry was pulling away, leaving him aching with a need that he had believed himself too jaded to feel. When his dance partner turned to exit the floor towards the bar, he let his eyes travel down that flexible spine and found himself licking his lips when his vision rested on the tightly framed cheeks of the younger man's posterior. Kami, but he was amazing! Just where had all that come from?! And instantly, Kisuke's possessive nature screamed that he had to have the berry for himself.

Once again coming up behind the boy-turned-man, he rested his chin on a shoulder that was only short enough to do so because of the way the orangette was leaning on the bar. "So, just what are you doing here, Berry-kun?" He teased, fully expecting to be scowled at.

When what he got was a playful smirk, he yet again had to remind himself that this young man was no longer the angry teenager he'd once been. "Out for a little fun after a long day. You?"

"I have to say the same." He played off his amazement as amusement but he had the sinking suspicion he wasn't fooling anybody.

Showing off, Ichigo again twisted to be facing the scientist, this time he had a bottle of water in his hand, which forced the older man to back up marginally. He flicked the cap off and took a long draw. Letting the liquid splash down his chin for a moment his eyes burned with the same teasing light then he flicked out his tongue to catch the droplet. Holy sweet Konpaku! The boy had that pierced too. Kisuke swallowed and his slacks felt quite a bit tighter than before. Shinji's had been sinful, but with the flexibility the strawberry had? He wouldn't be able to walk for a week, he was sure of it.

He must have been discovered because Ichigo smirked, running his tongue along his lips pretending to lick up water that wasn't there. He offered his bottle and the ring in his eyebrow raised perceptively in a smug question. Kisuke was almost dumbfounded and it took all of his willpower to tear his eyes away from that burning gaze to take the drink.

Since the scientist had to stand back to enjoy the liquid, the orangette was able to straighten. A hand on his hip, the other toying with the cap of the water bottle, and his head cocked slightly to the side. After a moment, he reached out and grabbed Kisuke's tie. This brought the grey eyes down to the complicated woven metal band on his thumb. They shot back up when that hand pulled slightly just in time to widen as that lip piercing met his skin. The next thing he knew he was answering that kiss with a hunger he hadn't meant to make obvious. His eyes drifted closed and vaguely he noticed the water bottle fall to the floor as the pair leaned against the bar.

His hands on the polished wood behind Ichigo, the orangette had his fingers gripping the collar pieces of his shirt, pulling him in closer. Those mind-numbingly long legs were spread to frame his own, and the denim covered pelvis pressed deliciously up into his own. It may have been his imagination but he swore he felt an answering hardness coming from the younger man. Just as he was about to run his hand down to grip a hip, the lips retreated and he opened his eyes to meet the dancing amber of his tease. They flicked to the side quickly and Kisuke felt his pants tighten again. He didn't even know if he nodded but the next thing he knew he was being led to the door by his tie. He barely registered grabbing Benihime, his jacket, and his hat before they were out in the open air of the night.

As soon as they were away from the building those lips crashed against his again, this time long arms wrapping around his neck, and he trailed his own hands down to grip the sinful hips grinding imperceptively against him. He answered it and a moan like none he'd ever heard before erupted between them. They stumbled toward the parking lot, still kissing and gripping, caught up in the heat and hunger of the moment. Then he was pressed against a car, once again straddled by those long legs, and that pierced tongue was trying to climb its way down his throat. He had his hands tucked into the waistband of the other's jeans, and felt answering fingertips of fire on his chest, which had somehow been revealed to the night. He wasn't even sure where Benihime had gotten to and his beloved hat was on the ground, knocked off the second he'd tried to put it on.

Then the moment was shattered by a shrill buzz and an electronic voice chanting something in English. It repeated itself twice, then went quiet. They had a few moments of silence then it went off again. The orangette groaned against his lips and pulled back with an apology on his face. He dug his phone out of the front pocket of his jeans and flipped open just before the ringtone repeated itself.

"What?!" He growled, that familiar scowl crossing his features. Evidently whatever the other person said displeased him because it grew darker as he listened. "Aa. I'll be there…MAH! I said I'll be there…When have I ever broken my word?...Kary…" He growled again, downright glaring. Then he winced, holding the phone away from his ear as the person on the other end started screaming at him. He curled his lip and shouted back, holding the microphone up to his mouth, "I SAID I'LL BE THERE, BACK THE FUCK OFF!" Then he slammed the phone shut with a violent snap. He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, displaying that the black was really dyed into the soft orange spikes. When his head fell forward the hand slid back to rub the back of his neck and tension melted from his shoulders. He looked up at Kisuke with an apologetic smile. Whatever the substitute Shinigami saw in the scientist's frame had him slinking back over to press against the blonde. He recaptured the kiss-swollen lips of his dance partner and moaned, but this time had an air of finality and regret to the sound.

"Raincheck, Berry-tan?" Kisuke asked, his voice slightly husky.

Ichigo bent, snatching up the green and white striped hat. Plopping it on top of the wavy blonde locks. "Definitely, Kissu." Light danced in his amber eyes again, and the scientist shivered, though from the promise or the use of his old nickname he wasn't sure.

The orangette pulled car keys from his other front pocket, and opened the door of the car the scientist was leaning against. The younger man brushed his hand along Kisuke's belt-line with another purr, and it was like his hips were connected to those fingers. He stepped off of the car following the trail of fire across his midsection, but as soon as he was clear the door shut.

He bent over intent on getting a final tease in on his part, but Ichigo had a better idea. The window rolled down fully and that amazing lithe body twisted to hang out of it for one more mind-numbing, soul-sucking, table-turning kiss. "Ja ne, Kissu." The sinful lips murmured against his own, and then the orangette was gone.

Benihime giggled in his mind and all the blonde could do was blink. His toes curled and he licked his lips, trying to capture every last atom of the strawberry's intoxicating taste. He mentally examined the new and definitely improved substitute Shinigami. Holy test tubes but Kurosaki Ichigo had grown up.

That thought halted him, and he blinked again, much to Benihime's sadistic amusement. The delicious young man he'd been necking with was Kurosaki Ichigo! Son of the one and only Kurosaki Isshin, insanely powerful former captain of the Tenth, grandson of Yamamoto Sotaicho, and one of the shopkeeper's close personal friends. His brain, for the first time ever, shut down, his eyes wide at what he'd just done. When the volatile former Shinigami got wind of what had gone on between them, he'd be dead. Well, more dead. Like, back on the path to reincarnation dead.

There was no helping it, he'd had to bury himself in work, and try his hardest to forget about the addicting young man. No matter how badly he mourned that truth, there was no changing it. If the father didn't dissect him, the great-grandfather would have barbequed candy man for the next Seireitei cook out. He shivered again and began the long walk back to the Shoten, his mind spinning. The whole time, Benihime tittered in diabolical amusement. Nothing quite got the crimson princess going like the pain of others. Sadistic bitch.

Only a few blocks from the club, just long enough for him to have gotten tied up in knots and for the chill in the air to settle into the bones of his gigai, a sleek car pulled up next to him. He vaguely noticed the color was the same as the one he'd been pressed against earlier. Then the window rolled down and a playful voice called, "Want a ride, sexy?"

He stopped and froze. There in the car was the very object of his frustration. He almost said no but the lanky orangette flipped the door open. Sinking into the seat before he realized what he was doing brought a chuckle from the younger man.

"Yanno, I wouldn't have left you if I'd known you walked. It's getting cold tonight." Ichigo intoned as they pulled away from the curb.

"I would never impose on your goodwill, Berry-tan." Kisuke laughed, more playfully than he really felt.

The flirtatious orangette echoed the laugh. "Don't call it goodwill, call it chivalry. I only give it to those who are worthy of it." They met eyes and the spell was set again. Ichigo smirked, "So, what's got you so deep in thought that you didn't realize it was me until after I rolled down the window?"

"Mah, you know me, Berry-tan. I am always deep in thought." He sorely wished he had his fan. At least he had his hat to shade his grey eyes. For a moment, the scientist was quiet while the substitute Shinigami laughed.

Sparing a hand from the wheel to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye, the orangette nodded. "Too true, but that raises the question, why would someone like you be out walking these streets at this hour of night all on his lonesome?"

"I wasn't going to be all on my lonesome, but my partner was called away by a rather rude message on his cell phone. It seemed to be something quite urgent, though I am insanely curious just who could have needed his complete and utter attention at this hour of night?" Kisuke threw a shameless grin to his driver.

Ichigo actually dropped his playful attitude and snorted. "Stupid, Goat Face. He thinks because I'm living under his roof again I have to follow his rules, and he's not accepting that I'm not going to just marry some pretty little Japanese girl and pop him out tons and tons of grandbabies. So, on nights like tonight where I've spent all day in the studio and I want to unwind, I go out, but Kami forbid I go where I want to go. And so help me, if he thinks that 3am is an acceptable curfew then I'm a paint brush. And what's worse? If I was out until all hours of the morning with some chick, he wouldn't care. He'd just ignore it, but because I don't, because I can't stand girls, he insists that I be home at a 'decent' hour. Oh, and do you have any idea of how many offers I've had to turn down because of shit like this? Is it so bad to want to actually enjoy fucking to relieve stress?!"

Kisuke took in the way the substitute Shinigami gripped the steering wheel, there was some contention there. What he wouldn't give to have his fan. Looking out of the window for a moment, he honestly wasn't sure what to say to the younger man. Being both as old as he was, and, well, dead, he'd never had to deal with the problem of convincing his family that his preferences ran away from the fairer sex.

"Sorry." The orangette frowned concentrating on the road. "I didn't mean to go off like that."

"Quite alright." The scientist waved him off. "Nothing to worry about. Your father is definitely something of a stubborn man. It's genetic, I believe."

The car was quiet for the next few blocks. As they approached the Shoten, Ichigo sighed. The blonde glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. The tension was still there and the Visored seemed to be debating something. Time stretched between them when the car pulled up into the open space in front of the candy store. Kisuke was just about to say something else when the younger of the two cut him off, turning to stare deep into his eyes.

"I know that you're probably thinking that this is stupid, and that I'm both way too young for you and that you could never betray my dad by going out with me, but I want you to know that it doesn't matter. If this attraction was going to die out without me experiencing the real thing it would have years ago when I was a horny teenager with a crush on his sensei." The orangette burned with his resolve, "Kisuke, I'm twenty-seven. I've been out of the closet since I was twenty-three. I haven't been a virgin since I was twenty-four. I know I didn't imagine the way you kissed me at the club, and I don't give two shits about what anybody else thinks. I want you. For a night, for a week, for whatever, but I want you."

Kisuke was stunned. Articulate, to the point, just this side of vulgar, and boy, did it ever turn him on. His conscience warred with his memory as the words that were just spoken into the still air of the sporty two-door car rattled around in his brain. He tried to make words form in response but for once, since that same sharp confectionary gaze had held him captivated, Urahara Kisuke had absolutely none of his own thoughts occupying his mind. His eyes wide and filled with wonder, his cheeks flushed a delicate pink he hadn't known he could produce, his nerve endings burning in a state of cold he couldn't attribute to the weather, his stomach clenched tightly around a swarm of jigokuchou, and his mouth actually watered.

This vision of the former captain of the Twelfth undone drew Ichigo to lean in closer to him. The substitute Shinigami chuckled slightly, lips inches from his own, brushing the flushed skin as he spoke, "You know, Kisuke, if this is how you get when someone knocks you down at your own game, I can only imagine how incredibly overwhelming you'll be post-orgasm."

The shopkeeper gasped, and the Visored took it as an invitation, hungrily capturing his lips again and shoving his tongue into the older man's mouth. A muffled sort of sound brought another tug at Ichigo's mouth, but as busy as it was this time, Kisuke could only kiss in response, allowing his eyes to fall closed. Fireworks lit up in the scientist's head, and had only just begun to really get big when Ichigo pulled away.

"Ah, ah, ah. You'll get more when you've agreed to my offer." Silence reigned again as both parties tried to tone down their arousal so they could think. Reluctantly Kisuke grinned again, mimicking Shinji, trying to provoke continuation. Ichigo chuckled darkly again.

"I don't know if I'll be able to refuse, Berry-tan." The shopkeeper breathed.

The substitute Shinigami smirked, "Meet me outside of that club tomorrow before 8. Come alone."

"It's a date." The blonde continued to grin, apparently unable to stop himself. Hearing Benihime echo the Visored's chuckle, Kisuke dipped his head. "Mata ashita." He exited the car and swung his can to try and silence his blade.

On his way back to the shop, Ichigo called, "Kisuke!"

He turned and raised an eyebrow, taking the two steps back to the orangette's window. "If I don't let you go, Berry-tan, there will be trouble."

Again his tie was grasped and he found himself lost for thought and breath in another of the younger man's soul-stealing kisses. After he was released, he rocked back on his heels to the sound of the substitute Shinigami again laughing at blowing his mind. Ichigo shook his head and drove off, still amused.

As soon as the tail lights of the vehicle were gone around the corner that was the end of the alley leading up to the Shoten, Kisuke sighed. _'Definitely trouble.'_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I know it looked like we were gearing up for smexy-ness in this chapter, but Yoruichi decided to put in an appearance, which pushed the date over the word count limit I put for the chapters in this fic. XD So, you'll all just have to wait until next week for it. lol But I promise, more tension is good. Ja ne, minna!

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"Somebody's got a da~te." The masculine voice from the windowsill startled the blonde shopkeeper into dropping his tie.

A grey eye slid over to the black cat perched in the window, its tail tip flicking back and forth in amusement. He pulled on his best 'Kuchiki Scowl™' and picked up his tie from the floor. Already showered and dressed in a sharp, button-down shirt with nearly invisible pin-striping, Kisuke was pants-less with only periwinkle boxers hiding his modesty from his snooping guest.

The lithe creature leapt down from the sill and up onto his western style bed to lounge across the dress slacks he'd chosen, but had yet to put on. "So, who's the lucky someone, Kissu?"

"Yoruichi-chan, that nickname in that voice is not being nice and you know it." He was vaguely frustrated by the situation.

In a very short time he was going to be meeting up with someone he'd very firmly placed in the 'Do Not Attempt' category over a decade ago. It promised to be a night of incredible enjoyment, and pleasure, and if yesterday's kisses were anything to go by, it would be like something he hadn't had in entirely too long. The anticipation was getting to him—something that _never_ happened—and he was torn down the middle. On one hand, he could go, damn the consequences and take whatever Lady Luck decided to dish out. On the other, he could no go, and he would spend the evening in his lab…tinkering with new experiments…alone… This was why his body, moving on auto-pilot, had him fiddling with a tie he knew how to fix in his sleep as though he'd never tied one before.

Several attempts later he made a noise of extreme frustration and threw the thing to the ground. He'd be plenty dressed up enough without it, right? Worried grey eyes looked down at it, frowning. He bent to pick it up, but then heard soft laughter behind him.

"I haven't seen you this out of sorts since we first arrived in the Living World, Kissu. Whatever this date means to you, I'm sure it can't be anywhere near as bad as you think it is."

Suddenly there was a very shapely, very naked Shihoin Yoruichi laying on his bed with her legs crossed one over the other and her arms behind her head. The foot still resting on the bed was just below his pillow, and if she was an inch further down her head would have been hanging over the edge. Her golden, feline eyes peered up at him upside down with mirth dancing in their luminous depths. Instantly, Kisuke was aware that whatever he spoke of in this room, at this time, would be shared with the entire Visored crew and probably half of Seireitei.

So, deciding to protect himself at least a tiny bit longer, he merely said, "My planned evening is none of your concern, Yoruichi-chan. Now, kindly hand me my pants. If I delay any longer, I shall be late."

"Mah!" She reached under her and tossed the almost black slacks over her head. "You know I'll find out sooner or later, Kissu. Why try and hide it?"

For safety, he almost said. Instead, he merely pulled on the pants and tucked in his shirt. Looking himself over in the mirror, he sighed. A critical eye took in the shift of clothing around his waist and he wondered for a moment if he needed to upgrade his gigai again. Was that grey hair? New wrinkles? Had that last experiment done something to the integrity of his skin? Or was he being lazy now that the Visoreds didn't need him to keep their cover and virtually all of Soul Society was able to come and go as they pleased thanks to the alliance between Seireitei and Las Noches? A second sigh brought a second round of giggles.

He frowned at her, "What is so funny?"

"You." She winked. "Fussing over yourself like a teenager getting ready for prom. Just go. I'm sure whoever he or she is, they'll adore you. You convinced them to give you an honest-to-goodness date, right? That means you've already caught their attention. Now, you just have to reel them in."

Kisuke rolled his eyes. She had a point, but her analogy just made him want to snicker. Thinking of his date that night as a fish. Heh, did lizards count as fish? He didn't think his Berry-tan would appreciate it implications of that comparison. The other one certainly hadn't. He'd been quite irritated when Kisuke had told it to him. The two had the same temper that way. He always thought they took themselves too seriously, and the similarities between their drives for power had the blonde freezing in place. What if the similarities went deeper?

No! Berry-tan wasn't anything like So-so! His honesty for one. His vitality. His inner strength. His will to protect. Sure, he pushed himself as hard as he could to grow as powerful as he could get, but that didn't mean he was swallowed by that same bloodlust, did it? Six years was an awful long time to still be banking on the orangette's moral code, and hadn't yesterday proven that the substitute Shinigami was anything but the teenager he'd been under Kisuke's influence?

A shiver ran down his spine as his hand hovered over Benihime's handle. He couldn't take another lover like So-so. Manipulative, cold, uncaring. The bastard had only ever been after his research, but the ways he'd gone about getting it…The hand on his shoulder made him jump, he was so deep into his thoughts. The crimson princess was out and leveled at the 'attacker' before he'd even thought.

"Whoa! Kisuke!" Yoruichi's eyes went wide, staring at the sharp edge of a blade she had personally seen honed. "I may not know everything that runs through that straw-filled head of yours but I do know when you're thinking too much. And usually that's when you start drawing first and asking questions later."

She used a careful finger to push the sword-cane's tip away from her collarbone, and rose her gaze to meet the fearful, stony orbs at the end of the Zanpakutou. Upon eye contact, the graceful lady was away and back into her sheathe where she belonged, though she grumbled in his mind about missing out on tasting the feline woman's blood. In composing himself, the captain-turned-shopkeeper promised her a full run-through of all of her moves against something worth her while. It satisfied her for the moment, but the implication was that she'd better get to taste the life fluid she was named for or there would be Hell to pay.

The combination of that threat and the expression on Yoruichi's face brought his signature grin to his lips. "Ah, Yoruichi-san, my apologies for my over-eager partner. She seems a bit restless. Perhaps my anticipation of this evening has gotten to her."

He bowed dramatically, snagging his hat from the peg next to the door, and placing it upon his head as he straightened back up again. This time when he met the Flash Goddess's eyes, his own were sparkling with mirth and excitement. Slinging the suit jacket that matched his slacks over his shoulder, he gestured for his guest to precede him in exiting his bedroom.

Shrinking back to cat form, Yoruichi did just that, holding her flexible tail aloft in the prideful way of all cats. Her haughty tone solidified that impression as her soundless steps beside him took them out into the common area of the Shoten. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you the next time we cross blades, shopkeeper."

"Hai, hai, Yoruichi-san. For now though, I must beg a rain check of you. I was not exaggerating when I mentioned I would be late should I delay any longer. Perhaps I'll see you later tonight, or perhaps I'll see you tomorrow sometime. It all depends on how well this evening goes, ne?" He was jovial once again, as he exited through the shop with a wave and a nod to each of the others on his way.

"Boss really is caught up in this tonight, ne, Shihoin-sama?" Tessai rumbled as the blonde turned the corner at the end of the alley.

The ebony feline levitated to the wall next to the shop, "Yah. I wonder how caught up he is, Tessai-san…"

"Bah. Good riddance." Jinta complained, throwing his broom on the ground. "With him out we don't hafta work."

Ururu blinked at her red-haired partner. Though they were much older, in their mid-twenties now, they still looked virtually the same. Jinta had taken to growing his hair out, and though he swore it was because he thought ponytails looked cool, it couldn't help but be noticed that he wore it in the same half-up, half-down style as one red-haired vice-captain of the Sixth. He'd even gotten a couple of black, tribal style lines tattooed on his biceps. Again, he dared anybody to claim he did so out of admiration for anyone. On the other hand, Ururu had deliberately followed in the footsteps of two of her favorite role models. Her bangs were long, and curved back behind her ears, held there by a pair of ladybug barrettes, but the back was short and choppy, barely brushing her collar. Where Jinta wore tee-shirts with the sleeves rolled up and jeans that had deliberate slashes cut into them, Ururu wore pleated skirts and professional blouses. During the mornings both had classes at the local community college, but at the evenings they still worked at the Shoten in exchange for room and board, and a little tuition help.

The handle of the broom Jinta had just discarded came up and smacked him across the back of the head. He whipped around to see who'd done it, only to receive another smack, this time across his face. Glaring and spinning around, he grabbed the broom and brandished it like a bokkan.

"Who was that!?" He screeched. Grabbing a hold of Ururu's hair, he demanded, "Was it you?"

He was given a third hit, this time from the back again, and it sent him sprawling into the dirt at the dark-haired girl's feet. Tessai scolded, "Young ladies deserve more respect than that. Now, get back to work, you have boxes to move for the boss."

The giant of a man hauled his redheaded ward into the shop, leaving Ururu to finish the sweeping. None of them noticed Yoruichi hop off the wall to the other side of the alley and off into the gathering darkness of the evening in the same direction as the shopkeeper.

On his walk, Kisuke whistled a tuneless melody that reminded him to keep his thoughts light and his expectations realistic. Just because the berry had implied that they would be physically intimate this night did not mean that they actually would be, and the blonde would do well to remember that. No matter how much the memory of those kisses sent blood straight to his groin. For that matter, there was no guarantee Berry-tan would even be there. If his home life was anything like it had been when he was a teenager, the steamy orangette could very easily be stuck hanging around the homestead for the evening, unable to escape the apparently prejudiced eye of his father.

That thought put a damper on his mood, but he quickly resolved himself that he would not let the effort he put into his current appearance go to waste. If the substitute Shinigami was a no-show, Kisuke would simply find some other delectable fruit to take home for the evening. So, really, it didn't matter if Berry-tan showed up or not.

He almost had himself convinced of that when he came around the corner across the street from the club. The sight outside the door had him stopping in his tracks and swallowing harshly against the constricting feeling of all of his bodily fluids being dried up at once. He was immensely grateful he'd ditched the tie, because there he was, in all his truly delicious glory, leaning against the wall of the club like there was nothing he'd rather be doing.

Ankles crossed, hands in his pockets, and laughing—outright laughing—at something the bouncer said. As usual, a line of people stretched around the club's building to the other side, but if anything was obvious the strawberry wasn't waiting to get in, merely keeping the large, dark-skinned brunette company while he worked. Why hadn't Kisuke ever noticed before that the usual bouncer at his favorite club was Yasutora-san? He shook his head in wonder.

That soul-piercing chocolate-amber gaze caught sight of him and the orangette was pushing himself off the wall with a farewell to his long-time best friend. Crossing the street, he was sex on legs. Black turtle-neck with reflective lettering across the chest and studded with blunt pyramids around the neck. Detached sleeves held down by crimson cuffs around each wrist. Lithe torso hugged by a crimson and ebony corset from ribs to belly button. Faded, light-blue jeans, slung low, and tight, adorned by a silver belt that did nothing, fading into black boot-cut bottoms. And were those heels?! Four inch heeled, platform boots in black vinyl with matching crimson lacing across the toes disappeared up under those sinful jeans. The skin of his shoulders and biceps played a pale counter-measure to the dark tones of his clothing, and the four inch ring of tantalizing flesh between his belt and his corset had Kisuke's breath hitching.

A small smirk pulled the silver ring in Ichigo's lip up as he took in the effect he had on the blonde. Striding directly into Kisuke's personal space, the orangette took advantage of the few inches his boots gave him over the former captain, to tilt the scruffy chin up and capture the lips he'd been dreaming about all day. A satisfied noise of pleasure vibrated from somewhere within the pair, though neither really knew where it came from. A few moments of fire between them, lips sliding against each other, gentle fingertips cupping the stubble-sprinkled chin that Kisuke could never truly get rid of, and passion that consumed below the surface was all either could stand before they broke apart, panting. Silver-grey bore up into golden-sienna. It was like fireworks in the middle of an electric storm that was more complicated than his most important inventions. Frankly, it stole his breath away and a terrified part of himself, way down deep inside, wondered once again what, if any, differences existed between this paralyzing soul and the other.

Then that sinful demon spoke, a lusty baritone that made the shopkeeper's knees go weak. "Miss me?"

If Kisuke spoke, he didn't notice. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. He was firmly and completely under the berry's spell, and he really didn't care. All he needed was to taste those lips again, feel the silky smooth skin that held in check corded muscles harder than steel yet pliable under his fingertips, and bathe in the ecstasy that was the substitute Shinigami's reiatsu. Last night he'd been too caught up in the physical attraction, the changes in both appearance and attitude, to notice the way the orangette's spiritual pressure wasn't the all-consuming wildfire it had once been.

No, now it was smoldering, just below the surface. There but not all out in the open where anyone with half a brain could feel it, which was why Kisuke hadn't noticed it before he spotted the berry's signature head of hair. It was deliciously teasing, flickering just at the edges of his senses, daring his own to rise up and meet him. But far from the demand he had always been forced to answer with So-so, this was a question, an enticement, and a challenge all in one. It didn't remove his options, but the sensation excited that part of him that demanded he answer—Benihime.

He'd just begun to reach out with his own reiatsu when Ichigo pulled back, still wearing that challenging smirk. "I'm kinda hungry…wanna grab a bite?"

"Uh…" For a moment, the shopkeeper was speechless, trying to remember how to use words to communicate again. Then his crimson princess smacked him across the back of his mindscape, and he fell into character. "Definitely. Have someplace in mind, Berry-kun?"

He had to swallow again as Ichigo looked over him with a slow, deliberate appraisal. "Yeah. I've got an idea. C'mon. My car's around the corner in the lot."

The orangette stepped away completely, his hands at his sides, and strode in the direction of the club's parking lot. Kisuke could barely remember to breathe as he watched matching silver filigree embroidered on the back pockets of those entirely-too-tight jeans sway back and forth in time to the berry's steps.

Get a grip, Kisuke! He mentally aided Benihime in smacking himself around. The last time he lost his head like this it had been…well, the culmination was obvious now that he looked back on it, and quite frankly, no matter how dangerous So-so had become…Ichigo was at least ten times worse than that, what with the fact that he was the ultimate hybrid—powers from Shinigami, Fullbringer, Quincy, and Hollow. He hadn't even thought of that! What if Ichigo's Hollow had managed to overthrown the real Berry-tan?! What if that was the source of the orangette's new-found confidence and predatory nature?!

The blonde froze in his steps, his heart clenching in fear. Was he walking into a trap? Was the Hollow attempting to get him alone so he could consume him? Was that what Berry-tan meant by hungry!? His hand tightened on Benihime's cane-handle, ready to draw her at a moment's notice in spite of the Zanpakutou's sniff of disapproval.

"Are you coming, Kissu?" Ichigo looked up from beside his car, where he'd just opened his door, in confusion.

"O-of course, Berry-tan!" He recovered quickly, shading his eyes with his hat, and striding purposefully to the passenger's side door.

As soon as they were on the road, the orangette began talking. "I know you're gonna love this place. It's something they have in the States that serves noodles in almost any kind of sauce you can imagine, and they top it with beef or pork or chicken or meat balls made with Italian spices. I fell in love with the place the first time Jacky took me there, and I was sure I'd have to…give…it…"

He trailed off as he realized Kisuke wasn't listening. Orange eyebrows drew together and after a few blocks of silence, Ichigo pulled the car over to stare at the blonde. It still took a while before the distracted grey eyes finally acknowledged that they were both no longer moving and he was the subject of the berry's scrutiny.

"Nani?" The blonde asked, blinking, but his knuckles paled around the handle of his cane.

Ichigo took that in and his frown deepened. His eyes shifted from Kisuke's hand to his face and back again a few times. "You think Shiro took over."

"Nandesuka…" Kisuke tried.

"Don't give me that shit!" The orangette cut him off. "You're just like the rest. Even Chado. You all think because I'm not angry all the time anymore, and I actually go after what I want, that he took over while I was away. Well, I'll have you know I was watched, God damn it! Ukitake-san was in regular contact with me for the last six years. Hell, Shinji would show up on my doorstep every time he was bored! I swear, Soul Society has nothing better to do than to watch me! I thought it'd be better coming home where I thought everybody knew me, but I guess not." He reached over and opened the door. "If the only reason you're here is to make sure I'm not going psycho, you can leave now."

Kisuke looked at the door for a moment, taken aback. Then his gaze shifted to the trembling biceps and shoulders of the young man sitting in the driver's seat. The flickering under-current of reiatsu was gone, sealed back behind a shield that made the orangette invisible, spiritually speaking. There was tension in his neck and back, a clenching in his jaw, and his Adam's apple bobbed with the force of his swallow. He refused to look at the blonde, staring determinedly out of the windshield at the street light just down the way, casting a soft yellow glow on the darkened area. Kisuke tilted his head just a little and caught a glimpse of over-brightness in the corner of the amber orb closest to him.

Screwing up his courage, the shopkeeper closed the car door and waited for Ichigo to look at him. When he did, staring in disbelief, Kisuke spoke, "You will learn very quickly, Berry-tan, that my mind is never still. I apologize that I allowed myself to be drawn that far away from our conversation. I believe you were telling me about an American restaurant that serves Italian-spiced food?"

"Y-you…you're not…"

For the first time since their reunion, Kisuke had the upper-hand in the conversation as the substitute Shinigami sputtered a bit. It was obvious he'd been dead certain that the only reason the shopkeeper was going out with him was to check up on him. When silence stretched between them, the orangette realized he was waiting for a further description of this place that Ichigo had discovered during his time abroad. This prompted a re-launching of the tale about how a person named 'Jacky', apparently a classmate from college, had taken him out for dinner and the hilarity that ensued during the orangette's first experience with Italian food…and wine. That story bled into the next and the next and the next, until the hesitation at the curb was long forgotten, dinner was eaten and the pair were on their way back to the Shoten.

Pulling up outside, Ichigo cut the engine and the lights. Technically it was still early, barely past eleven, but other than going back to the club, there was really only one thing Kisuke wanted to do with his fiery date. Turning off the car seemed to stall their conversation as well, because surprisingly both men found they had nothing they could say without seeming desperate. Once again silence stretched between them, both wanting what neither was willing to offer.

Finally, Kisuke gripped the door handle and threw a cocky smile over his shoulder, "Would you like to come in, Berry-tan?"

"Sure!" Ichigo jumped on the end of the question, then immediately hesitated. "I-if that's alright."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Where we go, minna! This is the smut chapter you've all been so patiently waiting for. Thank you guys for being so patient about it. I swear it's worth it! However, if you haven't picked up on it by now, Ichi is a body-mod lover in this, so for those of you with a faint heart...his adornments may make you cringe. Trust me though, I have personally seen much, much more extreme measures taken than what Ichi's done here. So, there's your warning. Thanks for all the pretty reviews too, not just here but on all my fics. Other stuff is coming, just a little slowly. Anyway, enjoy! Ja ne!

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The innocence and uncertainty that had been missing over the last two days was what did the shopkeeper in like a shot straight through his heart. He immediately leaned in and captured Ichigo's mouth, playing with his lip ring until his tongue came out, then tangling his own appendage around the ball of the stud in Ichigo's. He had plenty of practice with a tongue ring, and it showed when just manipulating that stoked the hidden fire that had been nipping at their interactions all night.

They broke apart once, to leave the car, but immediately crashed back together once they were free of the vehicle. Kisuke pinned Ichigo to the hood, fingers laced together as surely as their mouths. Denim met polyester, and the orangette wrapped one of those endless legs around the blonde's hip. Only the pressure of the heel of his boot reminded Kisuke that they couldn't go further out in the chill air of coming winter. So, as a tangled pair, with the older leading, they made their way inside, every few steps punctuated with a kiss that left both of their toes curling.

Ichigo left his monstrous boots, that really did lace all the way up to his knees, next to Kisuke's dress shoes in the genkan that separated the shop from the living area. Then the cuffs on his wrists were placed next to Geta-boshi's hat on the table where they always gathered during his teenage years. Finally kissing down the hallway, they almost fell through the shoji screen that was the door to Kisuke's bedroom. The moment of laughter at their clumsiness gave the shopkeeper the moment to truly enjoy the sight in front of him.

"My how grown up you've become, Berry-kun." He purred in the orangette's ear, wrapping his hands around to untie the laces of that ornate corset.

Teeth latched onto his ear, and hot breath spilled over that place when Ichigo responded with, "Just noticing that, Kissu?"

A hand took hold of his wrist and drew it down to the snap-fly of the jeans, where the fabric bulged out tellingly. The blonde chuckled and closed his hand gently over it, eliciting a pleasured groan from the younger male. Another tug with his other hand and the corset came free to reveal that the turtleneck wasn't just sleeveless, it was cropped to just above the edge of the berry's ribs. Drawing back for a moment, Kisuke ran his hands down the slender column of flesh that was Ichigo's abdomen.

"What's this? Another piercing? Is that all you did over there?" Kisuke teased, tugging lightly on the dangling sakura flower threaded through the orangette's belly button.

"Heh. You have no idea." Ichigo captured the blonde's lower lip, hands coming up to unfasten the buttons on his shirt.

Tracing the hem of the younger man's jeans, Kisuke's eyebrow quirked, "I've a feeling I'm about to find out, ne?"

The orangette seemed to consider that for a moment. Then that self-assured, somewhat disarming smile from the night before came back. Both hands, which the shopkeeper just now noticed were covered in rings on almost every finger, pressed against his chest, guiding him to lay back on the bed. Ichigo stepped back after that and began removing the rest of his clothing.

Removing a sleeve revealed a winding tattoo that began around his wrist and traveled up to just above his elbow, coincidentally where the sleeve he'd just taken off ended as well. The start was a simple white bandage, as though Ichigo had cut his wrist, but the fabric was part of his skin. The white wound up turning gradually pink on a black shaded background and fragmenting into what looked suspiciously like cherry blossom petals. Then it became darker, with many cracks and broken places in his skin. It cumulated in an odd butterfly with a gemstone in the middle of it that wrapped its wings, all six of them, around the tip of his bicep.

The orangette gave Kisuke the chance to admire the artwork before removing the other sleeve, allowing a matching tattoo on the other arm to be seen. Again it began with a bandage, though almost immediately the edges became frayed and the color changed from white to black. Roughly halfway up this one the darkness shifted back into white with blue star and cross shapes shadowed into the creases of the bandage, until the top where, like the butterfly on his right, a strange five-pointed star laid on top of an inverted duplicate surrounded by a circle stretched around the tip of his left bicep.

"More surprises, Berry-kun?" Blonde eyebrows shot up into his fringe and he blinked at the revelation.

Ichigo looked down at the two 'sleeves' and pursed his lips. "Jii-san thought it'd be funny if I was a walking monument to those I've fought with my life on the line. Rather like Zabimaru does with Renji. I guess he inspired Zan-jii." He smiled then, rather strangely innocent given both the subject of the markings and the rest of his appearance. "That's what really started all of this. In the States, hair color doesn't really matter, as long as it isn't blue or pink or green or something, but as soon as these showed up," He twisted his forearms slightly in emphasis, "I fell in with a specific kind of delinquent. They use body modification to express themselves, and since Jii-san felt it necessary that I have all of my achievements crammed into the same foot long area on both arms, I was accepted as one of them. That's when I got my ears done. Then my eyebrow, then…well," He shrugged, "you get the idea."

"Hai, hai, I do. I'm not sure that I understand why, but I at least know how." Kisuke licked his lips, and the orangette took that as a sign to keep going.

"Well, the deeper into the group I got, the more it seemed to make sense until I was marking my achievements with piercings. My lip was for my first kiss." He licked the ring in the center of the peachy flesh for emphasis. "My tongue," He stuck it out and flicked the tip, "was the first blowjob I gave."

His eyes grew dark, and heavy with lust at the memories. He slid his hands down his front, teasingly, to cup his belly button. "This was my first hand job. He came all over me." He purred, mimicking spreading the mentioned climax around on the pale flesh of his stomach.

Finishing the motion by hooking his thumbs under the edge of his cropped shirt, he pulled it off in one go. Predictably, the substitute Shinigami had barbells through his nipples. He touched them both at the same time and moaned quietly.

Locking eyes with a sweating Kisuke he only said one word, "Twins."

The corners of his mouth curled up as his eyes followed the movement of the blonde's Adam's apple and the twitch of the fabric still restraining his pelvis. To the former captain, this was better than any restraint So-so had ever used. He couldn't move and the berry was only half undressed. He hadn't even unbuckled his belt yet. Not to mention the fact that the only reason Kisuke had any skin showing at all was because his shirt was unbuttoned. Oh yes, from a distance Ichigo was cold and unapproachable, but here, in the confines of privacy, the berry burned hotter than a wildfire.

Those devious hands were moving again, taking off the aforementioned belt and teasingly popping the snaps of his fly, until the tight denim framed the bulging satin underneath. A shiny matching crimson triangle was all that kept the orangette's obvious arousal hidden from view.

"But," Ichigo husked, "do you wanna know my pride and joy? The piercings that really _make_ my night?"

Kisuke nodded, mouth dry and eyes locked on the way the berry's fingers danced over his underwear.

"I can't hear you, Kissu." The younger male purred, arching his back so that his pelvis was even more emphasized. "Do you wanna know?"

"Y-yes." Damn his stutter!

Ichigo's smirk grew into a full-on leer. "That's more like it." He wiggled his hips and the jeans fell to the floor. "I gotta tell you though. You can't be intimidated. It's an honor for each and every one of them. And in the States…they're much more relaxed about being intimate than we are…at least as long as you're smart about it."

Kisuke was practically drooling now as the orangette proved he was naturally orange, except for the black highlights, by exposing the triangle of soft curls nestled between his pelvic bones. Another few torturous moments and Ichigo dropped what turned out to be a bikini bottom that only just barely wasn't a thong. The length standing at attention was neither disappointing, nor was it at all what the blonde had been expecting. Around the upper corona of his glans, the berry had six, evenly spaced curved barbells, just long enough that they looked like silver balls framing the ridge of sensitive flesh. The underside was just as impressive as a row of twelve identical barbells marched in a proud ladder from where his scrotum began to just under his frenulum, and was capped with a sturdy ring through his urethra that held a dark steel ball decorated with a minus sign against the dip between his glans and his shaft.

"W-wow…" Kisuke swallowed hard, and blinked several times. "A-are each of those…"

He wasn't sure whether the display of metal made him cringe in pain or anticipation, but it certainly sent shockwaves through his body at the thought of those steel balls rubbing, and grinding against…certain…places. The blonde flushed deeply, and then deeper when he realized he was blushing like a teenager over the sight of his former student.

"Are each of these what? A marker for someone I've fucked? Someone I've driven wild? Someone I've taken to heights most humans never get to face and survive?" As he spoke, the orangette stalked up to the bed, lamplight glinting off the metal. Just as he reached the edge, and was about to climb up, he chuckled. "If you were just some sexy older man I picked up in the bar, I'd tell you yes. Each and every barbell is a person I've screwed senseless…" He brought his knee up onto the bed, "But, since you're you and you know me, and I obviously don't need to impress you or worry about scaring you off, I'll tell you the truth."

The berry finished climbing and hovered over Kisuke, letting his body heat engulf the blonde. Then he ran his hands over the supple thighs beneath him, up to the button and zipper of the straining almost-black slacks the shopkeeper still wore. It was as he was releasing that strain, that the older man found his voice again.

"Which is?"

That deadly smirk was aimed up at him, amber-sienna darkened almost to the color of an iridescent nightingale. "No. They aren't each for a person I've fucked."

Kisuke almost relaxed into the ministrations being done to his hips and lower abs, but for the next sentence out of the berry's mouth.

"If I'd done that, I wouldn't have any place left to pierce."

It was whispered, and more felt than heard through the vibrations of Ichigo's teeth on his zipper, tugging it down. A chuckle was the next sensation the blonde felt through his throbbing cock.

"Fundoshi? Looks like some traditions are harder to break than others, ne, Kissu?"

"O-oi! As if your little bitty business was any better." The former captain could not believe how well the 27-yr-old could get to him as once again his cheeks lit up. "A-and what do you mean 'wouldn't have any place left'? You've been with that many people!? There's at least a pound of metal in your dick!"

He scrambled to scoot back from the orangette, and caught the flash of embarrassment that crossed Ichigo's face as he turned away. With space between them, an consequentially his slacks down around his knees thanks to his movement up the bed, he was able to take in the whole picture of what the substitute Shinigami had become. The metal adorning his not-quite-bronzed skin looked like they belonged there, like instead of being born with freckles, or patches of hair, Ichigo had been born with glimmering, shiny balls of reflective steel. It was astonishing, from the bands on his fingers where they curled around his knees to the eight individual pieces in his ears, from the rings on his face to the shields and pendant on his torso, and that collection of bars adorning his manhood. Sitting there, framed in the light of the lamp on the wall, he was truly a sight to behold; a living piece of artwork.

Kisuke found himself licking his lips as the silence stretched between them and before either of them really knew what he was doing, the blonde shopkeeper was guiding his younger partner to lean back ever so slightly. Then he was tracing each of those magnificent piercings with his hot tongue, tugging and nibbling, relishing the taste of both metal and flesh.

Ichigo squirmed, his breathing heavy and the ball of his Prince Albert acting as a stopper for the fat droplet of precome the older man's actions drew from him. "Haa~ah…Kis…Kisuke…"

"Hmm?" He purred into the berry's belly button, tugging on that sakura flower just enough to keep the orangette from moving much on his own.

"I-if you keep…going…I'm gonna f-fall." The substitute Shinigami stuttered, his hands gripping the edge of the mattress while his hips hitched and his knees splayed to either side.

Kisuke leaned back up, and considered for a moment. Then moved backwards off the bed so Ichigo could shift around to lean his back on the wall above the shopkeeper's pillows. The blonde took the opportunity to divest himself of the rest of his own clothing, smirking when he caught the unbridled lust in the orangette's eyes. Using a rhythm in his head, the older man stalked back up the bed to nestle between his lover's thighs in front of that proud testament to just how much growing the orangette had done over the last decade. He caught the sienna gaze and deliberately ran his tongue over his upper lip.

He heard Ichigo swallow, and his smirk grew. Sparks of fire tingled through his fingertips as he traced the berry's leg from ankle to hip before licking the pearl of fluid pooling around the Prince Albert ring and tugging with his teeth a teeny bit. A gasp told him that was a very welcome action, so he repeated it with a bit more force, following the ring with his tongue to snag the candy-flavored honey from the source. Unable to keep his fingers still, he pressed the thumb of his right hand under the lowest rung on his lover's ladder. Another drool of syrup was his reward and though he was loathe to leave that fountain of grenadine, he couldn't help but climb the ladder, laving his tongue over each ball, tugging from either side, and generally making the substitute Shinigami come completely undone above his head.

A whimpering moan, and the feeling of a long-boned hand in his hair brought the blonde from his ministrations to look up at the flushed, and tortured berry, though he didn't take his lips from the ring of metal he'd first played with. He hummed into it. "Hmm?"

"Nyah! Kis-Kisuke…If you keep that up…I'm gonna…spoil our fun." Ichigo panted, his thumb caressing the former captain's temple. "I knew…you were…that's why…oh god…worth it…so worth it."

He drew Kisuke up and away from his cock to kiss him deeply, his other hand joining the first tangled in the wavy blonde locks. Their tongues danced for a while before the orangette had to pull back and gasp again. The shopkeeper's own flushed length rubbed against the metal masterpiece, creating the kind of friction both craved so desperately. Another hitch of hips and their lips were smashed back together, moaning and breathing heavily through their noses as each tried to devour the other.

"D-do you…wanna…I…need…" Again Ichigo breathlessly mumbled into their kisses.

Kisuke was no better, "Hai…in the drawer…"

A hand covered in rings reached out and fumbled for a few moments before a second, more scarred but just as distinctive, joined the first. Both latched onto the bottle with a screw off lid. A sound of entertainment passed between their joined lips and together they brought the jar over to where the older of the two could unscrew it. The younger dipped three fingers into it, and orange eyebrows raised in silent askance. The response he received was in the form of a hand around his wrist, guiding him around the former captain's hip.

No more room for words existed between them, as Ichigo first traced Kisuke's entrance and then pressed a the tip of his middle finger inside. Working carefully, the blonde barely even noticed being stretched. He never felt when his lover pressed in passed the ring of muscle with the band of metal on his finger, nor when a second band of metal joined the first. Somehow, even after the orangette had all four of his fingers inside the shopkeeper, the metal only acted as an extra tease, pressing and rubbing in all the right ways.

He bucked against that hand invading his most private of places, and the hot mouth on his own devoured the sounds of pleasure he made as strong fingertips brushed the bundle of nerves within him, making his cock jump and drool unconsciously. He thought maybe there was a smile against his lips, but then his mind was consumed by the sensation of his passage being abruptly empty.

Panting below him, Ichigo spoke softly, moving his lips against Kisuke's skin as though he anticipated the man above him to be too far gone in pleasure to understand his words through his ears alone. "You need to lay down, either on your knees or on your back, but you can't ride me cowboy style the first time, you'll tear."

He mumbled an assent and with a messy tangle of legs they flipped their positions. The blonde's back hit the pillows and unconsciously, his feet drew up to touch his behind as surely as if Ichigo had tied them there. Long-boned hands pulled his knees apart, and the jar was rescued from falling off the edge of the table to be used in slicking up the metal masterpiece that was the berry's manhood. A moment of apprehension crossed the shopkeeper's mind as he watched the orangette moan into his own touch.

Ichigo seemed to have caught it though, because as he lined himself up, he arched over the body beneath him, to nibble at Kisuke's neck, "Just relax. This will feel amazing. Trust me."

There were those words. Trust him? Of course! There was no way he couldn't—oh gods! Rational thought flew from his mind as the crowned glans slipped into his tunnel. He had no idea that the distortion of the shape would feel like _that_! He moaned like a two-bit whore, and his hips bucked, which drove the thick Prince Albert ring into the back wall of his tunnel, bringing a second wanton sound crawling from his lips. Hands cupped his ass cheeks such that the wrists they belonged to pressed against his hips.

A voice spoke above him, but he didn't hear it. All he knew was the glorious filling being done to his backside. Another rumble of vocal sound brought the beginnings of the ladder popping inside one rung at a time, and Kisuke howled, body begging for more. Ichigo moved so terribly slowly. Somewhere, meta-Kisuke understood that his younger lover had to in order to prevent tearing and ripping on both their parts, but that wasn't something that the Kisuke on the bed, being fucked into oblivion could grasp. Not when the final rung slid into place like it belonged there; like Ichigo's dick had been created specifically to fill his ass, and the piercings were simply the teeth on the key that was his salvation.

And just when he thought it couldn't get better, just when he'd begun to believe that they'd never be disconnected ever again, Ichigo moved! Pulling out as slowly as he pushed in, each rung on the ladder popping back out again like the best combination of plug and beads. That took a moment to adjust to as well, his body feeling like a padlock only the substitute Shinigami could understand. Then he was gone…completely overwhelmed and blown away.

The younger of the two created a rhythm of lock and liberate, close and crack, bury and broach. Kisuke was his treasure chest, and the pearls inside were Ichigo's for the taking. The orangette stormed his shores, plundered the very center of his soul, and left him floating in completion that looked an awful lot like a magnificent city turned on its ear. The outside world just simply did not exist and nothing mattered except the profound bliss that washed through his very being even as his orgasm splashed between them.

"Still with me, baby?" The younger male rumbled above the blonde's ear, his voice heavy and rough from the intensity of his own climax.

He ran his hands down the blonde's chest, pressing deliberately while he disengaged below and slid up to lay beside the flying shopkeeper. His lips and teeth joined the dance of his fingers. He also brought his leg over, to wrap around the older man's. Quite literally touching as much of the former captain as he could, Ichigo crooned and whispered randomly into Kisuke's ear.

Slowly, but surely, in the next fifteen minutes the shopkeeper blinked and became aware of what was happening. The first thing he was fully conscious of was the way his younger lover was plastered to his side, and then the room came back into focus and that rumbling sound that had been like ocean waves on a distant beach became words.

"…baby, float back this way. There you go. Yeah, it feels nice there. I know, but it's time to come back now. Shh, not too fast. Don't worry, I'm here."

"I-Ichi…go?" His throat was raw, over used.

"Yeah." The orangette was still drawing designs on his chest with his hand.

"Wha…I mean…did I…?"

He blinked several times. Amazingly, somehow, for the first time in centuries, his mind was blank. Completely, totally and utterly blank. He couldn't even form finished thoughts, let alone give voice to them, which left him in awe and stuttering.

The substitute Shinigami chuckled, "What? Never been to Subspace before, Kissu?"


End file.
